Area gas prices pass $4 a gallon: Feeling hosed?

Greenwood resident Calista Wildermuth has been left with a tough choice: drive less to save on gasoline or buy fewer groceries to feed her family of five.

Standing at the gasoline pump Saturday afternoon, where the per-gallon price was $4.09, Wildermuth said the choice is clear: Her family will be driving less.

From Everett to Seattle, Bellevue to Bremerton, unleaded fuel prices hit a record $4 per gallon on Saturday. At one station south of downtown Seattle, the price for regular unleaded was $4.32.

While many people, like Wildermuth, have accepted the rising price of unleaded and continue to patronize their neighborhood gas stations, others were scouring the city Saturday searching for deals.

Adrian and Andra Olson hit the jackpot when they pulled up to a Sam's Club in North Seattle: unleaded at $3.79 per gallon. The couple had checked stations near their home in Edmonds, even scouted out the Aurora Village Costco, before driving 3 ½ miles south to the Sam's Club.

"We always had hope it would go down before," Adrian Olson said as he pulled away from the pump. "But there's no hope now."

According to AAA, the price of gasoline in the Seattle area is inching closer to the average in Bellingham, which reached the $4-per-gallon mark on Friday and $4.04 on Saturday. Gas at many pumps in Olympia is hovering just below the $4 mark, at $3.99 per gallon, according to the automobile association.

$3.69 a month ago

Just a month ago, Seattle-area drivers were paying $3.69 at the pump; a year ago they paid $3.44 for a gallon of regular unleaded, according to the auto association.

Nationally, drivers are paying an average of $3.91 per gallon, up from $3.22 a year ago, according to AAA. Among the states paying the most for gas: Alaska, at $4.17 per gallon; Connecticut, at $4.16; Illinois at $4.09 and California at $4.08.

Wildermuth said gas prices have forced her husband to leave his Ford Bronco at home and drive his motorcycle to Tacoma and other places for work. Wildermuth said she has started taking the bus to classes at North Seattle Community College.

"It has gotten to the point we can't go on family outings unless we can walk there," Wildermuth said. "It's getting really, really hard."

Marcos Villarreal, of Seattle, said gas prices have forced him to use his van only for commuting to work; he no longer drives anywhere else. But, Villarreal admits, he is probably spending more than he should on gas because he doesn't want to fill up anywhere but the Gull station on Fourth Avenue South in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood.

On Saturday, that station was charging $4.32 per gallon for unleaded. A Shell station a few blocks away was charging $4.07, and the Costco down the street had $3.87.

"I think it's better for my car," Villarreal said, referring to the quality of gasoline offered at Gull. He spent $80 to fuel up on Saturday.

One employee at the Gull station, who declined to give his name, said he buys gas at the nearby Shell station because of the high prices at Gull.

Employees at several gas stations across the region said Saturday they hadn't seen a decline in business because of prices. The pumps at Costco in SoDo were jammed with customers much of the afternoon.

Clogged highways

Despite high gas prices, Washington's highways are expected to be jammed this holiday weekend.

The State Department of Transportation predicted that about 43,000 cars would travel west over Stevens Pass between Thursday afternoon and Tuesday morning. A typical weekend would see 27,000 cars on the road.

The DOT expects about 185,000 cars to cross Snoqualmie Pass during the same period; a normal weekend sees 135,000 vehicles.

One Seattle Chevron station has taken to offering $25 worth of free gas to customers who spend $500 on auto repairs.

Marty Berry, who manages the repair shop at the station on 25th Avenue Northeast, near University Village, said he doesn't think the promotion has brought in extra business. He said auto-repair shops across the region have struggled since gas prices started to rise sharply several months ago.

"It's just the economic climate. It's not just us, it's across the board," said Berry, whose gas station was charging $4.07 for unleaded on Saturday. "But you can't wait forever to fix your car."

Both Berry and Jatin Rai, owner of the 76 station at Northeast Northgate Way and Roosevelt Way Northeast, agree that prices here aren't as bad as they could be. Both cite gasoline prices in Europe, in some places topping $7 per gallon, as an example.

"When I was in high school in India it was $7 per gallon," Rai said. "It's almost half-price to me."

Information previously reported in The Seattle Times is contained in this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com